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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: calf · ball · pound · track · court · rash · squash · land

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. land — ground
  3. track — a song
  4. land — to come down
  5. track — a path
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a dance
  11. track — to keep track
  12. squash — to crush
  13. court — of law
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. court — of a king
  17. land — a country
  18. ball — a great time
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rash — hasty
  21. court — for sport
  22. pound — a weight
  23. squash — the sport
  24. pound — to hit hard

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com